J: "Typing in my sleep" Sleeeeeepyyyyy but this over due for you guys so I gathered all my remaining energy from the day to finish this.
THANKS TO: Mromeo18, goddessofanime2003, lakeya2700, Tanoshii Shurui, Guest, HalloweenDemon, LoveInTheBattleField, Dancingfingers, Cutee2054, OrihimeKurosakiInoue, Annalynn Roe, Anonimous, Sesshi-lover, Seshysgodestris, and itachi13080
J: I blame this story and all of you loving it so much for making me procastinate on my accounting homework...I still love you all for loving it though XD
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any Inuyasha characters.
Chapter Nineteen
"I can't believe I've walked past this building 50 times and never noticed how huge it is." Kagome craned her neck back as far as she dared with her hand shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight reflecting off the blue windows and silver metal.
From her standing point in front of the Taishou building Kagome couldn't even count how many floors there were. Thinking about stepping into such an upscale office made Kagome's hand self-consciously tug on the hem of her blouse.
The second she'd bung up the phone with Sesshomaru Kagome went to her closet to change her outfit. It would be a contradiction to her business degree for her to show up in her casual wear for an important discussion with the CEO. She wanted to impress upon him the importance of their topic, and to be taken seriously she needed to look serious. He had already seen her in her most basic business attire for the parent meeting. Since this discussion would be between just them three there would be nothing to keep him from picking apart her choice in clothes.
Keeping all this in mind Kagome knew exactly what to wear. Upon graduating from Taishou University Sango, Miroku and Kaede had presented her with a three piece suit. The pants were basic black and tailored to her leg length, the black blazer that matched the pants was lined with dark grey silk on the inside and also tailored to fit and accentuate her figure.
The blouse that came with the ensemble was her favorite part. Made of a fine blend of Egyptian cotton and silk its dark silver color made her feel like she was wearing armor that could keep her safe in any situation. With long sleeves that were loose around the wrists and a modest v-cut of the collar before the buttons started she was comfortable wearing a slim silver chain necklace.
The first time Kagome had worn the whole ensemble Sango and Miroku agreed that it was both feminine sleek and first class masculine. Kagome hadn't really understood what they meant; all she knew was that it was the perfect power suit. Anyone she confronted and dealt with would have to take her seriously no matter what the topic.
Much to her appreciation the weather decided to bring back the warmth that was normally reserved for mid-summer. Not needing the blazer Kagome felt more at ease. 'Alright Kagome, you go in there and do your best for Shippo and Rin.' Back straight Kagome strode into the Taishou Corp. building like she was the one that belonged in the CEO's chair.
This display of confidence wasn't necessarily needed for the first floor which only served as a kind of lobby. Three brown cushioned chairs and one brown three cushion couch were placed symmetrically on both sides of the large room. It was impossible to tell if the furniture was ever actually used but it did give the space a more people friendly feeling for people like her who were coming in for the first time.
The amount of human traffic must have been significantly higher than other business establishments she'd been in since there were five elevators instead of the three or four she normally saw. Looking closer at the number above the doors that lit up with the elevator's movements Kagome noticed that from the left to the right the elevators only went so high in the building. Interestingly enough it was only the center elevator that went to the top floor where she assumed Sesshomaru resided.
The ride from the very bottom to the very top went much faster than she'd anticipated. If she'd focused on the elevator she was sure she'd feel gravity fighting to keep her feet on the floor. The stainless steel doors opened onto a wide room with a solitary desk for the woman Kagome had first talked to. Feeling guilty Kagome realized she hadn't remembered the woman's name. As she approached her eyes found the name plaque on the desk, Naomi Kawazaki. The woman didn't seem much older than herselfwith short cropped black hair and intelligent dark brown eyes framed by plain black glasses.
"Hello Ms. Kawazaki, we spoke earlier on the phone. I'm Kagome Higurashi, I have a one o'clock appointment with Mr. Taishou."
"It-it's nice to meet you Ms. Higurashi. Mr. Taishou is ready for you just through the door to the left." Naomi had to add another strike to her tally of surprises for the day. When she'd spoken to Ms. Higurashi on the phone the professional manner that she'd heard made her think the woman would be older than her and possibly a demon like her employer. To see that Ms. Higurashi was a human and likely the same age made Naomi infinitely more curious and possibly a tad jealous. Not for the fact that she was spending time with Mr. Taishou, Naomi long since gave up her one sided love for the imposing demon. Her jealousy stemmed from the confidence and air of purpose that Ms. Higurashi wore like a fabulous cloak. Naomi had never felt that self-assured, especially not in the past few weeks when it seemed she couldn't do anything right anymore. It wasn't hard to spot the signs of disappointment and irritation Mr. Taishou sent her way with each mistake and slip up. 'Perhaps I need a less stressful position.' Once the door closed behind Ms. Higurashi Naomi brought up the Taishou Corp. internal employment listings.
Sesshomaru looked up at the sound of a light knock on the door. His computer clock read 12:55. Internally approving of her arriving early he answered, "Come in."
The door opened and Sesshomaru's eyes minutely widened. In all his years working in business and diplomatic arrangements before that Sesshomaru came to the conclusion that there were three types of people. There were people that knew they could survive in the cold and cut throat industry. There were people that could slowly adjust with prolonged exposure. And people that never should try stepping foot into the life style.
Dressed to hold her ground in any board room Kagome clearly fell into the first category. Her appearance was immaculate. Sesshomaru doubted he'd ever seen a woman that embodied such a degree of inner strength and beauty. Though there was one thing that he thought could be changed. Her hair being pinned and pulled up into a tight professional bun didn't sit right with him. A small voice told him that those wavy tresses should be let loose to hang around her shoulders. Tied up as it was made him feel as if she were confining herself. It wasn't right.
She smiled bringing him out of his inner comments.
"Please have a seat Ms. Higurashi."
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice Mr. Taishou, I know your schedule must be rather hectic." It was all Kagome could do not to stare at the floor to ceiling windows that presented Tokyo in a splendid display of sunlight shining off all the various buildings.
Taking the seat closest and more centered to Sesshomaru's line of sight Kagome blinked in surprise. Sitting on his desk top was the Tupperware container she'd given Rin to carry the sushi to her father. Pointing it out Kagome asked, "I'm not interrupting your lunch am I?"
"If you do not mind my eating while we talk then you are not interrupting."
"Not at all, I'm happy to see you enjoy the sushi Rin made for you." It was the truth; Kagome took pride in the knowledge of Rin's sushi being approved by her father.
Sesshomaru gave a nod, taking out a pair of disposable chopsticks he murmured, "What is it you needed to speak to me about?"
Something nagged at the back of his mind to notice a particular detail. A detail about Kagome was there that hadn't been before. Indiscreetly his eyes started at the top of her head and made its way down scanning every inch he could.
On the way to the office Kagome had gone over what she wanted to say multiple times. She wanted to convince Sesshomaru that her invitation was a wonderful thing that should be accepted. Eyeing the proud full blooded demon and business man Kagome threw that whole idea out the window. A sales pitch would get her nothing but an immediate rejection. Falling back on her casual approach Kagome got right to the point, "This Friday I'll be taking Shippo to a nearby Kitsune village. I'd like it if you and Rin came along as well."
Sesshomaru's eyes finally pin pointed the detail on Kagome that was new. In the duration of her offer Kagome had moved her arm in a way that pulled her sleeve lower on her wrist revealing a hand shaped bruise. Delicately sniffing he found freshly washed hair, soap that smelled strongly of vanilla and cherry blossoms, the tiniest amount of salt and a combination of herbs that he could recall having healing properties.
'The bruise was made recently, today likely. The smell of her assailant was strong enough to warrant a shower and scrubbing with perfumed soap.' The thought of Kagome being hurt for any reason made his fangs clench in a snarl he wanted to express. He acknowledged her as a friend, a person of interest that deserved respect and even his protection. His mind locked into place on the injustice of her being harmed Sesshomaru asked in a voice that threatened to rumble with a growl, "How were you injured?"
Taken aback by the question Kagome self-consciously lowered her hand out of his line of sight. Her reiki tingled with warning, the youkai ebbing towards her was brushing against her senses in a way that made her think of a dog anxiously trying to sniff out the cause of distress in another dog.
'I don't really want to complain about it, I haven't even told Sango yet.' She glanced up and met patiently waiting brown eyes. 'But if I don't trust him with something as minor as this how will he trust me with Rin's well-being in the future?'
"I had a misunderstanding with my boss this morning." Saying it out loud made the lingering pain come to the forefront of her mind. Her blue eyes stayed on Sesshomaru's; she wasn't happy that it had happened but she wouldn't act like a beaten down victim.
"What exactly was the misunderstanding?" Sesshomaru brought another piece of sushi to his mouth; eating the treat helped him control his urge to dig his claws into the desk and rip it to pieces.
"On the day that Shippo was hurt Mr. Tajomaru refused to let me leave, at that time I was…upset and may have unintentionally threatened him with purification. This morning he demanded an apology for my behavior, I did apologize, but then he demanded more…What he wanted I refused to give. He threatened blackmail with the Youkai Corps. And I reinforced my threat of purification and left." Her hands were clasped together shaking in her lap where Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to see. The fear, anger and dread she'd experienced in Mr. Tajomaru's office doubled upon themselves as she retold it. She'd broken eye contact, her voice became quieter and her power rippled making sparks appear in warning in rhythm with her heart beat.
Sesshomaru said nothing throughout although his inner beast snarled at the information presented. Her employer had dared to force himself upon her with the threat of demon support as a means to make her comply. It was demons like this disgusting swine that made peaceful cohabitation between the races waver.
Silence passed as both residents of the room forced their inner nature to a simmer under their skin.
Able to think without his beast snarling for blood Sesshomaru realized that he'd been given more than just an answer to his question. Kagome had given him her trust. For a human to openly admit to threatening a demon to another demon was deemed suicidal by most of society. Despite the peaceful co-existence between humans and demons, demons were obligated to protect their own race. If he were any other demon that cared nothing for her he would be calling the Youkai Corps. himself.
The feeling of holding this much of her trust was…pleasant. It coincided with his revelation of their unspoken friendship. 'A friendship is mutual and therefore deserves a gesture of similar magnitude.'
In the back of his mind Sesshomaru made a mental note to have Mr. Tajomaru's entire lively hood be destroyed starting with visits from health and safety inspectors. Opening his weekly schedule on his computer Sesshomaru scanned over the contents of Friday afternoon and all of Saturday.
Both days appeared to be relatively relaxed as long as the rest of the week went as planned. With a 'click' of the mouse he made them entirely open.
Kagome watched in silence as Sesshomaru's eyes flickered red during the span of her explanation. Once finished she tried not to dwell on which part of her story upset the taiyoukai. His eyes returned to normal and drifted to his computer monitor. Unsure of what to say Kagome let her eyes wander over his features.
His hair seemed dull and less tempting black, not nearly as soft and silky as it had appeared in white silver. His pale skin was too pale without the magenta stripes to adorn his cheeks and eyelids.
The more Kagome compared Sesshomaru's disguised features to his true form the more Kagome wondered, 'Why hide his heritage? If anything being open about it will earn him an even bigger holding in the business world…What are you doing Kagome?! Stop with the high school view, he's a respectable demon with a daughter, not a man to be ogled and drooled over….But he did list as the most desirable bachelor in the city….No stop! You're here to be serious, now be serious!' Kagome had to fight with herself to focus on the present.
"What exactly will this trip entail Ms. Higurashi?"
Smiling in hope Kagome leaned forward in her seat, "The trip has various parts to it. We start off with the train to go to Kujako Docks, from there we take a ferry to Kisame Island. From the docking port we hike to the Kitsune Inn. It's not entirely necessary, sometimes Shippo and I decide to camp outside not far from the inn. The next morning we hike for a little more to the Kitsune village. We normally take our time on the way there; on the way back we don't drag our feet and can make it home by night fall. I could give you a detailed map with instructions, but I did make a promise to the village matron to keep their location secret in return for teaching Shippo."
Sesshomaru gave a nod of understanding, "I believe I have done business with this village before. It was many years ago so the specifics allude me. Though I do recollect leaving on good terms, the inclusion of Rin and myself will not be an objection for them."
"Oh I uh hadn't thought of how they'd react to me bringing someone else to visit. I guess I'm so used to their happy go lucky nature I forget they want privacy more than anything." Kagome laughed nervously as a small ball of worry knotted in her stomach.
'Cute.' The word popped like a bubble in his mind too quickly for him to stop himself from thinking it. Kagome's lapse of memory was careless yet her naïve reasoning made her endearing.
"Might I make a suggestion to alter the route?" The thought of riding the public train made Sesshomaru's toes curl in disgust, the stench would suffocate him.
"You mean…You accept my offer? You and Rin will come?"
He blinked, he'd forgotten to tell her he accepted. Kagome wasn't the only one being careless, "Hn."
"That's great, and I'll of course accept any suggestions. I want you and Rin to enjoy this." Her smile and happiness radiated with her purity. Any single ill feelings from earlier were cleansed from his entire room, even his inner beast settled down to complete ease. Sesshomaru never anticipated spiritual powers reacting in this way. To protect and purify were supposedly the only ways known to demonkind.
'Perhaps I should speak to the monk before the trip. This affect she has on my youkai is….unsettling.'
Fighting off the urge to curl up around Kagome Sesshomaru pointed out a fact she'd missed, "I assume the need of the train is due to your lack of vehicle. As I am capable of providing us with one I suggest taking my car to Kujako Wharf."
Her mouth open in a small 'oh' Kagome agreed with this logic, "Right that um…makes a lot more sense."
From there Sesshomaru and Kagome spent the remainder of Sesshomaru's free hour discussing travel plans and necessities for the trip.
In the midst of the planning Sesshomaru came to an interesting realization. For the first time in over two years, he was becoming excited for a particular day.